Future Arts Centres (FAC), a partnership of arts centres around the UK, have been awarded £398,000 by Arts Council England from their Ambition for Excellence fund. The grant is for Euro-Vision – an ambitious international project that will take place over the next three years.
Led by ARC Stockton and the Albany, London, Euro-Vision aims to expand the current Future Arts Centres network to transform the way arts centres work together internationally. The project will help build mutually beneficial working relationships with arts centres across Europe, and will include commissioning six new internationally co-produced works.
Future Arts Centres is a partnership of nine founding organisations which supports a wider network of 90+ arts centres. The partnership was established in 2013 to champion the achievements of arts centres at local, regional and national level, raise arts centres’ profiles and drive their growth and innovation.
Annabel Turpin, Chief Executive at ARC Stockton said:
‘The arts centre sector, whilst thriving in the UK, is noticeably absent when it comes to European collaborations. We’re thrilled to have been awarded funding for Euro-Vision which will change that by forging new international creative partnerships across Europe. We’ve seen how much can be achieved through collaborative work between arts centres across the UK and this project will allow us to expand those benefits across international borders.’
Gavin Barlow, Chief Executive at the Albany added:
‘Euro-Vision will bring immense cultural and practical benefits not just to the organisations involved, but to the communities arts centres serve across the UK and in Europe. The network will share ideas, best-practice and learning and lead to the creation of exceptional new work.’
By the end of the project, up to 18 ongoing artistic partnerships will have been established between UK and European arts centres and six high quality international co-productions of shows or events will have been commissioned – each one reaching audiences at UK and European arts centres.
Alison Clark, Director, North and National Director, Combined Arts at Arts Council England said:
‘The Ambition for Excellence funding programme is designed to support game-changing projects that have lasting impact through developing extraordinary work, and so we are exceptionally pleased to support the Future Arts Centres Network. Arts Centres have a central and growing role to play in the arts across England and this project builds on a track record of support for both artists and communities. The international collaboration and the strength and number of partners and associated arts centres involved in this project is particularly exciting.’
The Arts Council England Ambition for Excellence fund aims to contribute to the development of strong cultural places, grow and develop talent and leadership in the regions and across artforms, give an international dimension to excellent work and create the highest quality new work.
The FAC founding partners are the Albany (South London), ARC Stockton, artsdepot (North London), Brewery Arts Centre (Kendal), Cambridge Junction, Lincoln Drill Hall, mac birmingham, Rich Mix (East London) and Stratford Circus (East London).
The wider FAC membership comprised more than 90 arts centres from across the UK, representing small, mid and large scale centres from both urban and rural areas, from all four UK countries. Future Arts Centres members are linked by an active online community as well as national events.